David Crosby – Troubadour 4/15/14

I saw David Crosby last night at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, the first time I had been there since Lu’s LA World Tour show. I strolled in at 8:02 pm at exactly the same time as Crosby hit the stage. My traveling party of Matt, Ryan, and Tanner took up residence in the far corner near the stage in the otherwise packed house. Oddly, folding plastic chairs had been set up in front of the stage all the way back to the bar, perhaps a nod to the geriatric status of most of us in attendance. I was of course breaking my “no shows on a weeknight” rule yet again.

Crosby spent the first hour playing his new CD Croz. The first couple songs were good. The rest were filler I thought till we got to the second set. He said they would play the entire CD but that they would hurry! The band was the same band that has been out with CSN the last few years, Shane Fontayne on the guitar, Steve DiStanislao on drums, Kevin McCormick on bass, James Raymond on keys, and a new guy named Markus Eaton on acoustic guitar. Crosby looked thin and tired in a black suit coat, and wild white hair. He said he was taking medication but I didn’t catch what his ailment was; a cold seemed likely. But he was in good voice and the band was superb.

After a 20 minute break a greatest hits set broke out, starting with an excellent 8 Miles High. Some guy yelled out Lee Shore after every song. This was also the one song I absolutely had to hear. The first time Crosby said they hadn’t learned it yet but they would play it later in the week. The third time Crosby said “you said that 3 times now”. The guy said he was sorry. Crosby said “it’s OK, I get it”. So they close with a 15 minute version of Deja Vu and leave the stage. When Crosby comes back for the encore I hear the guy yell out for Lee Shore and cringed. Crosby says to the guy, “I heard you say that again. We will play it tomorrow or the next night, once we make sure you are not here to hear it”. 3 seconds of silence. Then Crosby says “just kidding”. Then he closed with Cowboy Movie. Show over at 10:50.

I did not detect the presence of any other FF members, although I did see former LW sound man and current CSN sound guy Kev Madigan up in the sound booth. Sunday’s show featured a guest appearance by Chris Hillman on “Turn Turn Turn”, but no such luck tonight.